After the nightmare
by dreamland4
Summary: Just a short story set after the last season, I own nothing of Merlin just love.


**Comments: I haven't written for a long time and thought I should have another go. Sorry it is not beta'd and a bit of strange one, but I hope you like it.**

The weeks since they had returned to Camelot had been difficult for Arthur. Morgana's reign of terror had been a bloody one and the more he and his knights worked to put the city back together the more his heart broke with the devastation she had left behind. Arthur shivered at the thought and a drop of ink dripped onto the blank parchment he had been staring at for the last hour.

At night he would wake with dreams of the past, of a women he once thought of as just like a _**Sis**_...he shook his head, he could not even think of her as that. What haunted him the most was the fact that he didn't pick up any signs before hand, the more he thought about the months after she had returned from capture, the more he realised it was not the girl he once knew that had returned, but a stranger. He thought back to the day Guinevere had nearly been executed and he felt sick to the core knowing that it was Morgana that had orchestrated the whole event, helped by his confession of love.

Arthur's thoughts then turned to his father, when he was growing up he had aspired to be like him, but now he realised that he was nothing like him at all. Uther had brought him up in a web of lies and he did not know how thick that web was! And now his father was a shell of a man, trapped in the memories of the past. Arthur would visit him of course, but all his father would do was stare blankly out of the window as if in a living nightmare, he did not know if he would ever wake from.

Arthur screwed the parchment angrily in his hand and threw it "Damn it"

"Arthur?" Guinevere had knocked several times and entered without notice, she saw Arthur sitting at his table his hands covering his face, she moved closer. "Arthur?" she repeated.

Arthur removed his hands and turned to see "Guinevere" he stood immediately and straightened his tunic down, acting as if nothing happened, he even attempted a smile.

Guinevere smiled weakly "You are not sleeping?" she noticed the dark circles around his eyes.

Arthur ran his hands through his hair "It's good to see you" ignoring her question he closed the gap between them.

Gwen sighed and reached up to stroke his cheek, Arthur closed his eyes to her touch. The _'It's not your fault' _speech nearly rolled of her tongue, but he had heard it too many times before. "Perhaps you should rest now"

Arthur grumbled and opened his eyes, he instantly turned his head slightly from her gaze. "I am fine, Guinevere"

"Indeed" her hand dropped from his face and immediately went to her hips, she heard Arthur sigh ready for whatever honest opinion was to come out of her mouth.

"I should get on, I have the council meeting to prepare for" Arthur moved away from her and started gathering parchments in his hands.

Gwen shook her head, he was so stubborn, but then again so was she, she moved up to him taking the parchments from his hands "And you will be all the better for going to the council meeting after a few hours rest"

Arthur looked at her challenging look, she looked like she was about to go into battle and she would win, she always won. "I can't sleep" Arthur looked ashamed, as if his confession had weakened him somehow.

"I know" she too suffered from nightmares about what had passed. But she knew Arthur's burdens were a lot greater. Guinevere grabbed Arthurs hand and carefully led him to his bed, she heard him sigh but he did not resist, Instead he sat down on his bed. Guinevere then gently pushed his chest encouraging him to lay down, which he did and then she carefully removed his boots and placed them neatly on the floor.

Arthur's eyes watched her every move _"Stay with me"_ he said in almost a whisper as she drew the curtains. Gwen stopped for a moment as if thinking of all the reasons she should not, then she finished drawing the curtains and went to pull up a chair next to him. Instead Arthur moved across and patted the space now next to him.

"Please" Gwen sighed and slipped of her shoes and lay next to Arthur on the bed. Arthur turned his body and moved his arm to sit across her waist his head now nestled next to hers "Thank you"

They fell into silence and with each breath Arthur took, the scent of Guinevere seemed to calm his mind and her warmth soothed his aching body, as she gently rubbed his arm. He hadn't felt this safe in a long time, she was his light in all these days of darkness.

Gwen smiled as she heard Arthur gently snoring, she would be by his side forever, no matter what the future held. Guinevere eyes became heavy and sleep eventually took her.

This time their dreams were not of the past, but of their future.

Guinevere dreamed of cold nights wrapped safe in Arthur's arms and Arthur dreamed of Guinevere walking towards him a crown placed on her head, he would take her by the hand and lead her to the seat next to him and all the people would cheer "King Arthur and Queen Guinevere", a smile fixed on Arthurs face.


End file.
